UK weather forecast latest: Snow sweeps London as UK grinds to a halt with four killed in tragic Lincolnshire crash

Heavy snow has blanketed huge swathes of the UK with freezing temperatures bringing fears of major disruption to road and rail networks.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for snow and ice across London and the south east on Wednesday.

A yellow weather warning for snow is also in place for the rest of the UK amid what forecasters have predicted as the coldest week since 1991.

Rail providers including London Overground, Southeastern, Greater Anglia and South Western have warned of travel disruption due to the Siberian blast – dubbed “the Beast from the East”.

Weather warning: Snow blankets large parts of UK

British Airways cancelled dozens of flights from Heathrow Airport on Tuesday, while easyJet said it is expecting disruption to some of its flights and has advised customers to check before they travel.

Southeastern trains has announced there will be cancellations this morning after the heavy snow prevented train crew from getting to depots. Then a snow-clearing vehicle broke down on the Ashford-bound line.

Several roads across the country have been closed due to the severe weather.Part of the A1 in Cambridgeshire is shut in both directions, between the A1M junction 17 and the A6121 at Tinwell.Cambridgeshire Police said traffic was at a standstill on both the north and southbound carriageways between Stamford and Wansford.

Police in Newcastle have declared a major incident after around 500 homes were left without power following an underground electrical fire at around 3.20pm in Ponteland Road in Cowgate.A reception centre has been set up at the Morrisons supermarket on Two Ball Lonnen.Northumbria Police superintendent George Maratty said the Northern Powergrid were “doing all they can” to get power back up and running.